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They represent towns that have dropping crime rates, but when they get together this week rural Ontario mayors are talking about soaring police costs.

“This is a hot topic everywhere, because it is a real threat to our viability,” Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis said Monday.

He’s one of many mayors gathered in Toronto for the combined Rural Ontario Municipal Association/Ontario Good Roads Association conference.

Politis took a break from the conference Monday to join OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis for a live online chat posted on lfpress.com.

“The trends had been going in the wrong direction,” Politis said when asked if the issue was on the minds of those at the conference.

It was, and not only there. Hundreds logged in for the chat Monday, and many had questions for Lewis and Politis.

Throughout the hour-long discussion the mayor and the commissioner debated how much control municipalities should have in policing communities and what kind of bang-for-buck Ontarians are getting with OPP service.

Many of Ontario’s 324 OPP-serviced communities have said they feel handcuffed because they’re forced to pay for a service whose bills are determined by the province without input from municipalities.

There’s a movement afoot to reduce costs other than salaries that make up 85% of the OPP budget.

The first step is a new billing model proposed by the OPP that would equalize the base cost of the service. The new system would result in some towns paying much more and others much less.

The commissioner — who logged on and did the entire chat typing with his thumbs — fielded tough questions from critics and also took praise from supporters.

“Once again, hard for us to win,” Lewis said, defending what some see as overstaffing in communities.

“Too many officers . . . cost is too much and people complain. Not enough, people never see a cop and criminals don’t either.”